Cessna U206 accident near Falun, Wisconsin, June 18, 2025
On June 18, 2025 at about 7:00 pm local time, a 1979 Cessna U206, registered N932DB, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern final) near Falun, Wisconsin. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot experiencing the featureless terrain illusion during the approach which gave the perception that the airplane was at a higher altitude over the glassy water surface than it was, resulting in the airplane impacting the water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 2025 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Falun, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna U206 G, built 1979 · all U206s on the register
- Registration
- N932DB · registry record · serial U20605397
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed in the float-equipped airplane to perform three water and three land landings for currency purposes. During the approach to the glassy surface of the rural freshwater lake, the floats impacted the lake. The pilot reported that a “hard impact” occurred, and the float attachment struts were damaged. During the impact, the pilot believed the airplane was between 20 to 25 ft above the glassy surface of the lake. The airplane came to rest upright, and the pilot was able to egress from the cockpit onto a float. The pilot was then picked up by an individual in a nearby boat. Shortly after, the airplane partially sank, and it came to rest inverted in the lake. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot further reported that the accident could have been prevented by remembering that it is “almost impossible to judge height above glassy water.” The FAA Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) discusses various illusions leading to landing errors. The FAA AIM defines the featureless terrain illusion as, “an absence of ground features, as when landing over water, darkened areas, and terrain made featureless by snow, can create the illusion that the aircraft is at a higher altitude than it actually is.”
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Evacuation during post (impact)
- Loss of visual reference during approach (VFR pattern final) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Glassy surface › Contributed to outcome
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Glassy surface › Awareness of condition
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Glassy surface › Effect on personnel
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Visual illusion/disorientation › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 1,214 hours in all; 614 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,214 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 3, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,587.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 18, 2025; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,650 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors IO-520-F25B (piston); 1,389 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RNH New Richmond WI at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KRZN, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KRZN 181855Z AUTO 30003KT 10SM CLR 26/13 A2981 RMK AO2 T02600134
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN25LA211.